Cheddar Olives...

When planning a cocktail party, I always make sure to have one "straight-from-freezer-to-oven" recipe, and I usually make an extra batch. You can keep refilling the tray as long as you need to, and any leftovers stay in the freezer for the next party. There's only one problem ~ with this favorite hors d'oeuvres, there are never any leftovers. Ever! No matter how many I make.

Even when I've quintupled this recipe for a cocktail party, they were all gone before the party was over. People just can't get enough of the warm, cheddary, slightly crumbly pastry enclosing a juicy olive.

It comes together in a snap - a single recipe probably takes about 20 minutes or less to get in the oven. Obviously, the more you make, the longer it will take, but once you've got the dough made, rolling the olives is pretty mindless. This is an old southern recipe - you'll find versions of it in many cookbooks.

Cheddar Olives

Ingredients:
8 to 10 ounce jar of pitted green olives, either pimento stuffed or plain.
1 cup sharp Cheddar, shredded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon cayenne*

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Drain the olives well, and dry them completely with paper towels. Set aside.
Combine the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well until a dough forms. You can kneed it with your hands, if necessary, until it has the consistency of play-dough.



Pinch off a small amount of dough, flatten it, and wrap it around a dry olive. Being careful not to squeeze the olive, pinch off any excess, then roll it in your hands until smooth. Continue until all the olives are covered.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. OR freeze, wrapped tightly, and they will last for months. Bake straight from the freezer for 20 minutes.

* I prefer the cayenne, but in a pinch I've made it with paprika and it was just as good! You just want a little something in there to cut the richness.

Serve immediately.

__________

George’s notes:

• Cocktails are the centerpiece of many celebrations. Throwing a cocktail party is an easy way to commemorate any occasion or milestone. Best of all, you never need an excuse to host a cocktail party. It's the perfect "just because" gathering to catch up with friends.
• Stock your bar with these staples so you never have to worry about not having the cocktail your guest might want.

Liquor
Vodka ~ 2 bottles, including flavored ones. Vodka is always a safe bet because you can serve it on the rocks and it mixes well with any kind of juice, soda, or tonic.

Gin ~ 1 bottle for old-school martini lovers and tonic drinkers will do the trick.

Tequila ~ It’s the prime ingredient of margarita and 1 bottle will do the trick.

Rum ~ 1 bottle to make delicious drinks with sodas or fruity flavored mixers.

Whiskey ~ consider this a broader category that includes bourbons and scotches and an at home bar is complete with 1 bottle.

Beer, red and white wine ~ Have all three on hand is best, but not a must. I usually have two types of beers and one type of each wine, thus introducing a new vineyard tasting and encouraging conversation among my guest.

Mixers
Soda ~ Tonic, Coke and diet versions, club soda, and fancy flavors, like cream vanilla flavored soda.

Juices ~ Orange, cranberry and grapefruit juices as well as vegetable juices like cucumber or tomato. Also remember lemon and lime juice.

Flavored Mixes ~ Liquor is always enjoyable when you had a tasty flavor to it and store brought mixes like pina colada, daquiri, margarita are a relatively inexpensive and easy thing to keep on hand.

Garnishes
Garnishes can be pretty much anything, but always keep the basics like olives, cherries, lemon and lime wedges, and sliced fruit on hand.

Eggs Benedict...

It's a classic brunch dish, so I figured I might as well make it for my weekend guest. The bulk of making Eggs Benedict is simple ~ toasting English muffins, browning Canadian bacon, and making a hollandaise in a blender or a food processor.

The more difficult task ~ or maybe just the nerve wreaking part ~ is poaching eggs.

If you have never poached an egg before, I suggest adding vinegar to the boiling water (the ratio is 2 cups vinegar for 16 cups of water). ~ vinegar helps the eggs "form into perfect spheres." First, you cracked your first egg into a ramekin, and then quickly dropped it into the boiling water. The egg white streaked slightly in the water, but for the most part stayed together. After three minutes, you removed the egg from the water and placed it on a paper towel-lined plate. You can poach several eggs at a time in the same pot; if you feel brave enough and want to move this process along.

The secret to success with this dish is the quality of its parts. Adding a generous amount of vinegar to the poaching liquid—a restaurant trick—helps the eggs form into perfect spheres, and making the hollandaise in a blender whips the sauce into a smooth, emulsified state, so it isn't as likely to separate as the version made by hand with a whisk.

I served my Eggs Benedict with some roasted new potatoes, fresh roasted coffee and spicy Bloody Mary’s; alone with my Pains au Chocolat I posted last week. My recipe for Bloody Mary’s follows the recipe for Eggs Benedict.

Classic Eggs Benedict

Ingredients:
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 slices Canadian bacon
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon Tabasco® sauce
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 eggs, cracked into separate small bowls
4 English muffins, pulled apart by hand and toasted
Paprika or cayenne, for garnish

Bring 16 cups water to a boil in a tall 6-quart saucepan over high heat. Add vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt, lower heat to medium, and bring to a simmer.

Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat; add bacon; cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Combine yolks, lemon juice, 4 teaspoons warm water, Tabasco, and remaining salt in a blender; turn to medium speed and slowly drizzle in butter to make the hollandaise. Transfer to a bowl; set aside, covered.

Swirl simmering water with a spoon to create a whirlpool. Carefully slide each egg into water; poach until just firm, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a paper towel-lined plate. Divide muffin halves between 4 plates; top each half with 1 slice of bacon and 1 egg. Spoon 2–3 tablespoons sauce over each egg. Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne.


Serves 4


_______________

Bloody Mary

Ingredients:
6 cups tomato juice
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Tabasco® sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon celery salt
1½ cups vodka

For garnish, you can use fresh cut Celery, Cucumber Sticks, Lemon or Tomato slice

In a large glass pitcher, combine all ingredients and blend well.
Serve over ice and with a garnish.

8 to 10 servings